The first web 2.0 tool that I used was Fodey. The tool is found at www.fodey.com. The website is relatively basic and you don’t have to create an account. If you want to use the article, all you have to do is save it to your computer as a document. All you have to do is type in your text in the box and it will be generated in the format that was chosen, but there is a limit to the amount of words that will show up. I wrote a much longer article at first and had to revise it, so that it would fit. There were different options for how you could write the text like having different characters slowly appear with the letters of a word. That option would work well for younger students and for spelling words or spelling patterns. The newspaper article seemed to be the most useful for a classroom, but the other options would work well with younger students. The newspaper application has many uses for a language arts classroom. The students could create their own newspaper articles for many different purposes. One example is that students could create them for book reports to entice or discourage others from reading their books. It is a way to have the students write creative, detailed pieces. They will enjoy seeing what they wrote in newspaper format. It shows students that there are other forms of writing than just regular essays. There are many different ways this tool could be used by teachers; my example was for the students to find the adjectives in the article. It was so simple to use, so I definitely see myself using this in my future classroom.
Shelfari is a virtual bookshelf. This tool was great for me because I love reading. I also think it would work well in a language arts classroom. For this website, you need to create an account. The accounts don't show personal information except to friends. The teacher can create an account and could even create accounts for the students. The only "complicated" part about Shelfari is creating an account, but many students they could do it themselves or have parent or teacher help. This tool would be great in a classroom because students can create their own bookshelf and reviews and look at other people's bookshelves. It is very easy to search for books, authors or genres.There is a search box at the top where you type in one or the other and if you want to select you just click on the "add" button. Once you add the book, the website gives you other prompts that you can answer if you want. The selections also prompt similar books that the reader might enjoy. It encourages students to read and to read a variety of different books. They might see what someone else is reading and then add it to their list of books to read. They have the ability to rate the books and encourage or discourage others to read the books. Even young students could use the website with minimal parent help. I think that teachers should create a shelfari for themselves, even for younger grade levels. The teacher could post it on the classroom page and allow students to the shelf. The teacher can put up books that the class is going to read or should be reading at the age level. It shows the students that the teacher is still an active reader. The bookshelf I created has books geared towards second grade, as well as, books that I currently like to read myself. I would definitely use this in my classroom whether with older or younger students. I think it would work more effectively with older students because they could create their own shelves, but it is a great tool either way in encouraging reading.
Fodey
The first web 2.0 tool that I used was Fodey. The tool is found at www.fodey.com. The website is relatively basic and you don’t have to create an account. If you want to use the article, all you have to do is save it to your computer as a document. All you have to do is type in your text in the box and it will be generated in the format that was chosen, but there is a limit to the amount of words that will show up. I wrote a much longer article at first and had to revise it, so that it would fit. There were different options for how you could write the text like having different characters slowly appear with the letters of a word. That option would work well for younger students and for spelling words or spelling patterns. The newspaper article seemed to be the most useful for a classroom, but the other options would work well with younger students. The newspaper application has many uses for a language arts classroom. The students could create their own newspaper articles for many different purposes. One example is that students could create them for book reports to entice or discourage others from reading their books. It is a way to have the students write creative, detailed pieces. They will enjoy seeing what they wrote in newspaper format. It shows students that there are other forms of writing than just regular essays. There are many different ways this tool could be used by teachers; my example was for the students to find the adjectives in the article. It was so simple to use, so I definitely see myself using this in my future classroom.
Shelfari
http://www.shelfari.com/**webtool**
Shelfari is a virtual bookshelf. This tool was great for me because I love reading. I also think it would work well in a language arts classroom. For this website, you need to create an account. The accounts don't show personal information except to friends. The teacher can create an account and could even create accounts for the students. The only "complicated" part about Shelfari is creating an account, but many students they could do it themselves or have parent or teacher help. This tool would be great in a classroom because students can create their own bookshelf and reviews and look at other people's bookshelves. It is very easy to search for books, authors or genres.There is a search box at the top where you type in one or the other and if you want to select you just click on the "add" button. Once you add the book, the website gives you other prompts that you can answer if you want. The selections also prompt similar books that the reader might enjoy. It encourages students to read and to read a variety of different books. They might see what someone else is reading and then add it to their list of books to read. They have the ability to rate the books and encourage or discourage others to read the books. Even young students could use the website with minimal parent help. I think that teachers should create a shelfari for themselves, even for younger grade levels. The teacher could post it on the classroom page and allow students to the shelf. The teacher can put up books that the class is going to read or should be reading at the age level. It shows the students that the teacher is still an active reader. The bookshelf I created has books geared towards second grade, as well as, books that I currently like to read myself. I would definitely use this in my classroom whether with older or younger students. I think it would work more effectively with older students because they could create their own shelves, but it is a great tool either way in encouraging reading.
Cast Book:
Spring: A Time to Kite
http://bookbuilder.cast.org/view.php?op=view&book=27726&page=1